Lackluster first half defense once again downed Marquette Wednesday night, losing to in-state rival Wisconsin 3-0 and concluding its nonconference slate with a 0-6-1 record.
Deer in headlights doesn’t even begin to describe Marquette’s first half defense against the Badgers. Before Marquette even blinked, Wisconsin had a goal in the fifth minute. After three consecutive corner kicks, Tom Barlow chested it past starting keeper Noah Heim and a sprawling Jack Alberts.
It was the second straight game in which the Golden Eagles have given up a goal in the opening ten minutes.
Wisconsin got its second goal in the 20th minute when Elan Koenig scored from inside the six yard box. Koenig bowled over Diego Nunez. As Heim attempted to dive for the ball, he caught the leg of his own defender, causing them to fall. Koenig then fired it past Patrick Seagrist, who was manning the line in a last-ditch effort. By the end of the play, three Golden Eagles were on the ground.
Wisconsin was able to put the nail in the coffin just seven minutes later, All-American Chris Mueller was left wide open from a header off of a corner kick.
Marquette mustered seven shots but had eight corner kicks. Even with the advantage in corners, the Golden Eagles dug themselves too deep of a hole to come back.
“We were prepared for the game, but we weren’t for the onslaught,” head coach Louis Bennett said. “We really had trouble with clarity tonight and we looked at it as a bonus game and it backfired on us.”
Moving forward, the Golden Eagles must do a better job of managing the early stages of the game, Bennett reiterated.
“We have to combat miscues,” Bennett said. “Anxiety turns into giving up early goals. We could really use some calmness in our back line, and an awareness. Because we don’t have any stability and consistency with some of our guys out, it really hurts us at times and tonight was definitely one of them.”
It is the first time in head coach Louis Bennett’s tenure that he has gone without a single win in the non-conference schedule, and he will be looking to get something from his team this Saturday against preseason league-favorites Providence.
“No one’s thrown in the towel, and we have to regroup and get ready for Providence. They’re a really good squad, and we want to show them that we still have life in this team.”
